Pennsylvania Game Commission fields reports of bear sightings
Reports of bear sightings across Fayette County are pouring in to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), which trapped a 300-pound black bear in South Connellsville earlier this week in addition to setting three new traps Friday at a residence on Vista Avenue in Connellsville. So, what’s attracting these furry animals?
Bird feeders, crops, garbage and pet foods are “bear” necessities right now for the furry creatures, according to Stephen Leiendecker, Fayette County wildlife conservation officer for the PGC.
“They smell it from the mountains and come into the suburbs like Connellsville and Uniontown,” said Leiendecker.
Leiendecker said even the grease left over on gas grills is considered a tasty treat for a bear.
With summer just a few weeks away, Leiendecker said he has been setting bear traps around the clock and responding to calls daily. “This time of year that’s all I do.”
For Leiendecker, bear trapping has become a 24-hour, seven-day workweek, relocating the traps just as fast as he catches the bears as well as collecting biological data on the animal.
Leiendecker said the traps resemble a round culvert pipe on wheels with steel doors on each end that slam shut when the bear steps on a pedal inside to get the bait, which is usually a donut or cupcake.
“They love sweets,” said Leiendecker.
Once a bear is caught, Leiendecker said it is tranquilized while he then pulls a tooth and uses a special dye to determine the age before tagging both ears and tattooing the inside of its lip as part of the PGC’s ongoing process to collect and record biological data on the animal.
Last year, Leiendecker said the PGC captured and physically handled 30 live black bears compared with two so far this year.
While the state’s bear population has been increasing for decades, the PGC information noted that many people have moved into the areas where bears reside. As a result, according to the PGC, bears and people are coming into contact more than ever with the majority of encounters similar to that in South Connellsville and other areas where outside food sources are readily available.
According to the PGC, Pennsylvania’s bear population is around 15,000.
While they appear heavy, the PGC said black bears are surprising agile and can run up to 35 mph, climb trees and swim.
Some bears may even live up to 25 years in the wild.
In the 45 years that Shirley McElhaney has lived in South Connellsville she never once thought she would find herself face-to-face with a black bear.
But, that’s exactly what happened Sunday when McElhaney opened the basement door to the backyard and started down the steps.
“The door must have hit him and he was just sitting there…he looked at me and I looked at him, we just kept looking at each other,” said McElhaney.
Despite their common name, the PGC information noted black bears are not always black. They may be cinnamon or even more rare, blond. Many bears also have a white blaze of “V” on their chest.
According to the PGC, adult bears usually weigh around 200 pounds with males being heavier than females, however some can weigh as much as 600 pounds or more.
McElhaney said the bear she saw was within arm’s reach of her. “We were close enough to touch each other.”
While McElhaney said she was shaking like a leaf, she also knew not to panic.
With one arm behind her, McElhaney said she slowly walked backwards never taking her eye off the bear until she could feel the door, grabbing the handle and opening it to get back inside before closing and locking it.
Leiendecker said McElhaney had the right idea not to panic and warned not to turn around and run, but instead make noise to let a bear know you are there.
In most cases, Leiendecker said if a bear detects you first, it will usually leave the area, but if you find yourself in a close encounter like McElhaney did, he advised to stay calm and slowly move away.
“Make as much racket as you can and it should scare them off, but sometimes they lose their fear of people, because they’re used to seeing them,” said Leiendecker.
One thing a person encountering a bear does not want to do, said Leiendecker, is run, because it might initiate a predator response.
On the other hand, Leiendecker said, in the five years he has been with the PGC, there have been no reports of any human killed by a bear in Pennsylvania.
If they recognize someone as a person, a bear may stand upright or move closer in their efforts to detect odors in the air currents, but the PGC advises not to consider this a sign of aggression.
Leiendecker said black bears mate primarily from early June to mid-July, but once blackberries come into harvest, he said sightings dwindle substantially.
“It’s very simple to keep bears away by eliminating everything that would smell good,” said Leiendecker.